It has been a successful start to the Under-18 National Championships in Quebec for the Muenster Red Sox.

Through three games, the Red Sox are sitting at 2-1 and are in position to control their own fate for a potential playoff spot.

Starting the tournament bright and early Thursday morning, the Red Sox got down 4-0 against Nova Scotia, before scoring eight unanswered runs to win 8-4.

Head Coach Chad Hofmann says that a long layoff between games affected the team to start the tournament.

"It looked like we haven't played in weeks, which was about right for most of our guys," said Hofmann. "Once we got going, we did fine and obviously Tyler (McWillie)'s Grand Slam got us going offensively."

McWillie crushed a ball over the fence in the bottom of the third inning with the Red Sox trailing 4-1. That vaulted them infront, where they would stay for good.

Parker McRae started the first game for the Red Sox, giving way to Tyson Black, who is a roster addition for the tournament. He picked up the win. Thomas Lessmeister ended the game, securing the final four outs.

Momentum from the win over Nova Scotia carried over to the first half of their game against New Brunswick.

The Red Sox led 3-1 in the bottom of the fourth inning, before some bad fortune came their way.

"We had two outs in that inning with loaded bases. Their lead-off batter was up and Brody had two strikes on him," explained Hofmann. "He threw a good pitch and the guy managed to fight it off and unfortunately for us, cleared the bases with a double."

It was a 6-4 setback to New Brunswick for the Red Sox, which evened their record at 1-1.

A salty feeling from letting the game against New Brunswick get away was inflicted on Manitoba Friday morning, as the Red Sox scored seven runs in the 1st inning, on their way to a 15-4 rout.

Adam Gerwing got the scoring started with a two RBI triple. McWillie singled him home before the Red Sox loaded the bases for David Lacoursiere.

One of the unsung heroes of their provincial championship run, Lacoursiere ripped a double, clearing the bags and making it 6-0. He would then come around on Jordan Breker's sacrifice fly.

Connor Sparks, Muenster's other tournament addition, took the mound and pitched two shutout innings before Gerwing came in to pitch the final three innings, earning the win.

Pleased with his team's performance through three games, Hofmann says it hasn't come without adjustments.

"The strike zone is definitely a little different when it comes to Nationals. It's a little tighter, so the pitch count goes higher," he noted. "Obviously the hitters are better, so they battle and there is more foul balls and it is more difficult for us to get through innings with a lower pitch count."

Going forward, the Red Sox will take on Newfoundland in a crucial game Friday night. A win there would go a long way in helping Muenster secure a spot in the medal round.

Tiered from the previous year's results, the Red Sox wound up in the lower pool, which means only the Top 2 teams advance to play for medals, instead of the Top 3 in the higher pool.

McWillie will get the start against Newfoundland, with Logan Hofmann available in relief.

You can hear more from Hofmann below.